Lemon Curd Filled Coconut Cupcakes

30May

Looking for a surprisingly simple dessert for your next BBQ or summer shindig? These Lemon Curd Filled Coconut Cupcakes are just the thing! Top them with freshly toasted coconut and a festive paper umbrella to complete the tropical sweet treat.

Hello friends!

Can you believe it’s the last Friday in May already?! Summer is pretty much here and I have barely begun my dive into all its bright and cheery flavors!

With that in mind, I’m getting straight to the focus of today’s post: Lemon Curd Filled Coconut Cupcakes.

I absolutely adore lemon curd. I didn’t even know lemons had a curd (I know they don’t, but this is me trying to be funny, let’s all try to roll with it) but now that I’ve tried it, I just can’t seem to stop putting it into everything. If you’re looking for a superbly simple homemade version, I always go for this one posted by Aimee of Shugary Sweets. I believe she originally found it from Alton Brown…

so you know it’s good.

And by good I mean the most glorious sweet and fruity spread the likes of which no one has ever seen before!

So I thought to myself: how do I incorporate lemon curd into a dessert? I mean I could go the more obvious route of gooey lemon bars (and I may still end up doing so!) but then it hit me:

why not stuff lemon curd inside a cupcake?

And why not make that cupcake with oodles of coconut milk and sweetened, shredded coconut?

AND THEN top that cupcake with a lemon-coconut buttercream and toasted coconut?

AND THEN EAT ALL THE CUPCAKES!

…

Okay, so you now know what happened to all of the Lemon Curd Filled Coconut Cupcakes. Every bite was totally worth the insane sugar rush that ensued almost immediately afterwards. They were just so cute and summery, how could I resist?

The more accurate question though, how will you be able to resist them? 😉

Now like I said, you are more than welcome (and encouraged!) to make your own homemade lemon curd, but if you are pressed for time or just plain old don’t feel like doing so, go ahead and pick up a jar of pre-made lemon curd at your local grocery store. It’ll be near all the jams and jellies.

Do try your best to resist all the jams and jellies. And the nutella.

Or, you know, don’t resist. Just succumb to all the deliciousness that is fruity or chocolatey spread. I’d do my best to dissuade you but I’m pretty sure we all know that I’m as obsessed with jams and nutella as the next foodie.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, and I’ll be back on Tuesday with another tropical-inspired sweet treat!

Happy Baking!

Lemon Curd Filled Coconut Cupcakes

Looking for a surprisingly simple dessert for your next BBQ or summer shindig? These Lemon Curd Filled Coconut Cupcakes are just the thing! Top them with freshly toasted coconut and a festive paper umbrella to complete the tropical sweet treat.

In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer) beat sugar and vegetable oil, followed by eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Beat in both extracts.

On the slowest speed of your mixer (or feel free to use a large wooden spoon at this point if you’re worried about over-beating) mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into oil/sugar mixture, followed by 1/2 the coconut milk, then another 1/3 of the flour mixture, and repeat until all the coconut milk and flour have been mixed into the batter. You don’t want to overbeat it, but make sure it looks smooth.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 way full with cupcake batter and bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for a few minutes before carefully removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

While cupcakes cool, make the frosting. Beat butter and lemon zest for a full three minutes, or until mixture is pale and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in coconut milk, and squeeze in a little lemon juice if needed (in case it's too thick).

Assemble the cupcakes. Use a small knife to make a well in the center of each of the cupcakes. You want this well to be deep enough to hold 1 tbsp of lemon curd, but not so deep that the curd leaks out. Fill each of the wells with 1 tbsp of lemon curd. Then, either pipe frosting onto cupcakes or dollop on and smear frosting with a spatula. Top with toasted coconut.